BLURRED vision may have been the reason a legendary Liverpool fell runner lost his life in a peat bog.

Bill Smith was discovered deep in the mud on Saddle Fell, in Bowland, Lancashire, last weekend, having apparently remained there for three weeks.

The 75-year-old was a notable name in fell running across the north of England.

The pensioner was hugely respected for his commitment to marshalling and competing in races around Lancashire.

Friends today said Mr Smith’s failing eyesight could have been the cause of his tragic accident.

They revealed how the bachelor had repeated appointments at Liverpool’s Royal Hospital to improve his vision.

According to friends, he was told by medics to wear his glasses more often – but the concerns remained.

Eyesight problems did not deter Mr Smith from exercising and competing for his club, Clayton-le-Moors Harriers.

Friend John Francis, 68, from Litherland, said: “Bill was having more and more trouble with his eyes.

“Sometimes he couldn’t see who he was talking to. And he was fearless on his running descents. He flew down them.

“From that point of view, if it was rough conditions, he may have misjudged the distance and accidentally fallen into the bog.”

Mr Smith, who extended the Bob Graham Round challenge by scaling 65 Lakeland peaks in just 24 hours, never married.

He lived in a small terraced house overlooking Stanley Park, and close to both Anfield and Goodison Park stadiums, with his mum until she passed away around 15 years ago.

Two of his sisters are believed to still live in Liverpool.

Running colleagues at the Lancashire club will discuss the possibility of naming an annual running event after him.

Fellow runner Paul Branon said: “There will be plans to mark his life. We will doubtless have some memorial event for him. Bill was a pioneer in the sport.”

The 75-year-old who wrote an influential fell running book, was a connoisseur of Cajun or gypsy music.

John added: “Bill was a gentle soul. We would travel to races together and I remember our first run was along the Chester Walls. I met him 20 years ago when I was running for Liverpool-Pembrokeshire. It was like having an encyclopaedia next to me. Information just tripped off his tongue. I looked at him like an elder brother.”